We heard from guest Pastor Mark Alderton, from our Aurora, CO church, about being a Word AND Spirit-led church. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

TEXT: Luke 24:44-49, Acts 1:6-9
TITLE: Becoming A “Word and Spirit” Church
PREACHER: Guest Pastor Mark Alderton
BIG IDEA: God’s word is not enough to transform people…without the Holy Spirit.

POINTS: 
1. We can expect God to be working apart from us   
2. We can expect God to speak to us directly
3. We can expect to be placed in uncomfortable ministry situations that require dependence on the Spirit
4. We can expect God to do amazing things

SERMON EXCERPTS:
”The biblical church is a word and spirit church. It’s not either/or; it’s both/and. It’s a church that is anchored in the clear and careful teaching of God’s word, and that also leaves room for and asks for the Spirit of God to empower that teaching and do things outside of that teaching for the good of the church and the conversion of unbelievers.”

“This story starts with Cornelius, not Peter. God is preparing this man to hear the gospel through a supernatural work, a vision of an angel of God, before Peter even knows of his existence. …Do you expect God to be doing that in our day? Do you think that the Spirit of God might be operating on someone right now, placing in their minds something that makes them suddenly open to the gospel – totally apart from you?”

“…we have a category for this. It’s what we might call the revelatory gifts. I would put prophecy, tongues with interpretation, the utterance of knowledge and the discerning of spirits in that category, all gifts listed in 1 Corinthians 12. They are strange, but they are in the Bible. And the Spirit works through them as part of the package of building up the church and advancing the gospel.”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
Acts 10:1-48
John 16:7-14

APPLICATION:
- What would it look like if we are more intentional about relying on the Holy Spirit in our lives?
- Anything can displace Jesus from the center, especially good things like the Spirit’s broad ministry. But not if we keep the word and the Spirit together.

• God’s written word points to Jesus everywhere as the hero of the redemption story in this fallen world.

• And the Spirit also points us to Jesus